


Allergies Fic (We Don't Believe What's On TV)

by sadandscared



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Allergies, Best Friends, Character Death, Fluff, Gay Smut, I Suck At Writing Smut, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Josh is worried, M/M, Relationship(s), Romantic Friendship, Smut, Song Refrence, This is Bad, dom! Josh, i hope this is good, im so sorry, im sorry, joshler - Freeform, lots of fluff, teen! josh, teen! tyler, this is horrible, this is my first fic sorry, tw, tyler has allergies, we don't believe what's on tv
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-07-24 13:10:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7509682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sadandscared/pseuds/sadandscared
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Josh forms a romantic relationship-like friendship with his neighbor, Tyler. When he finds out Tyler has allergies, he over-exaggerates it and begins to worry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Allergies Fic (We Don't Believe What's On TV)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry I honestly don't know what this is; I wrote this at like 3am because I was listening to WDBWOT whilst my allergies were acting up. Don't hate me too much. // TW: suicide is referenced.

It was mid-October and the leaves from the trees were falling to the ground in various shades of red, brown, and orange. Josh was only fifteen years old at the time, and he was standing with his mother in front of his neighbor's yard.  
"What's going on over there?" Josh questioned, slightly shivering from the fall-temperature.  
"I don't know." said his mother, narrowing her eyes while trying to look through the windows in the short distance, seeing if she could tell what was happening inside.  
Hardly a few moments later, two policemen walked outside alongside a gurney.  
"I think something may have happened to her." Josh's mother said, still trying to look at the scene.  
"Yeah, something did happen to her." Josh scoffed. "Death."  
His mother nudged him as she said, "It isn't funny, Joshua."  
And Josh knew that. Josh knew that death wasn't a funny matter, yet he always seemed to find himself trying to make light of the situation. But it wasn't because he was trying to avoid getting upset, it was because he couldn't get upset.  
No matter how close he was to someone, Josh had never really experienced grief. Even when his grandmother had past away a few years before, he didn't shed a single tear.  
Josh tried changing the subject, crunching leaves with his boots, as he asked, "What do you think they're gonna do with her house?"  
"I don't know," his mother sighed, pulling Josh away from their neighbor's yard. "Sell it, probably."

-

"You gonna eat that or not?"  
"Nah, I'm not really hungry." Josh replied to his father, pushing his plate back. He stood up and fixed his hat, walking towards the front door.  
"Where are you going?" Josh's father asked, lifting his head again from his coffee-stained newspaper.  
"Over to Tyler's house. I'll be back in a little bit."  
He walked out the door, closing it behind him as he headed over to his neighbor's.  
It had been nearly two years since Mrs. Jensen had died, and it was only five months after her death when they sold the house.  
The house, old and large and baby blue with faded white trim, was sold to the Joseph's. They had a son named Tyler who, after awhile, Josh grew quite fond of. The two became best friends to a sort, going over to each other's houses nearly every day.

-

"Who is it?" the always-tired sixteen year old boy asked from across the house, when he heard a knock.  
"It's me, Ty. Josh." said the smirking seventeen year old.  
Tyler opened the door to meet Josh, who was grinning at the sight of him.  
"Oh, hey." Tyler said, his voice soft as he smiled. "Come in."  
Josh smiled back, stepping inside the large room. Once Tyler closed the door and turned around, Josh immediately picked him up, pulling him into a tight hug.  
"Joooshh.." Tyler giggled, trying to push away from Josh's death-hold.  
Once he finally let go, he sat Tyler back down and walked towards the bedroom.  
"Well, my parents are gone.." Tyler smiled, blushing lightly as he bit his lip, twiddling his fingers.  
"Mm." Josh hummed, walking closer to Tyler to grip his waist.  
The two had never really considered themselves a couple, or even discussed what their sexuality was for that matter, but every time the two were alone, they always found it an opportunity to do this.  
Honestly, they weren't even sure how this whole thing all started. They only remembered one day they were left alone, talking, and the next thing they knew they were making out, listening closely to make sure his parents weren't home yet.  
"We have to be quick though," Tyler moaned underneath the older boy. "They'll be home soon."  
Josh smiled into Tyler's neck as he said, "Okay, I'll try."

-

After eleven 'quick' minutes of foreplay and sex, the two had finally finished up and were laying on the bed, a panting mess.  
"When do you.." Tyler said, breathing heavy. "..plan on telling your parents you're gay?"  
"I don't know." Josh said, his chest rising and falling too.  
Josh wanted more than anything to ask Tyler if they were ready to be an official couple yet, but he could only find himself sighing as the younger boy stood up.  
"Where are you going?" Josh asked, looking over at Tyler and pushing himself up.  
"To the kitchen to get something to eat."  
Josh jumped up, taking Tyler's hand and guiding him back to the bed.  
"I'll go do it." Josh said, smiling warmly. Tyler smiled back in response, watching as Josh left the room.  
Josh went into the kitchen and looked around for something to eat. He yanked open a cabinet, glancing inside.  
"Nothing, fucking nothing." Josh mumbled to himself, almost slamming the cabinet door shut. He sighed and walked to the other cabinet, yanking it open the same way he had done the other. His eyes wandered over empty cans when they caught site of a jar of peanut butter and another jar of jelly.  
Quickly, Josh grabbed it and a loaf of bread, making Tyler a sandwich.

-

"Here you go." Josh smiled, handing Tyler the plate.  
"Thank you, Josh. You know, you really didn't have-"  
Tyler stopped mid-sentence and glanced at the sandwich.  
"Actually, you shouldn't have."  
Josh cocked his head to the side, narrowing his eyes. "What do you mean?"  
"Well," Tyler said, nervously pushing the plate away. "I'm allergic to peanuts. So I can't eat that."  
"Oh." Josh said, his tone the slightest bit upset. But not because Tyler wouldn't eat the sandwich, but because all these years they had known each other, telling secrets, talking about their favorite things, just everything in general, yet somehow Tyler let it slip his mind when it came to letting Josh know he had an allergy.  
"Well, if you don't mind me asking, what else are you allergic to?" Josh asked, crossing his arms.  
"Bees, Wasps, certain types of trees and, besides the peanuts, I think that's about it."  
"You're allergic to trees?" Josh asked, slightly shocked. "How..how do you go outside?"  
Tyler laughed softly and said, "Some allergies don't have that big of an effect on me as others. Some can just make me sneeze or make my eyes water, others can result in death. It depends. And besides that, the trees that I'm allergic to are no where near here. They were only in my home state. That's why we moved."  
Josh, still lost in a confused haze, asked, "Aren't you afraid?"  
"Afraid of what?"  
"Afraid of dying, Ty. I mean, what if you get stung by a bee one day? What's going to happen then? You could die and- and what am I going to- You just can't go outside anymore, it's too big of a risk. Something might happen."  
"It's okay, Josh." Tyler laughed again. "Looks like it'll just be a risk I'll have to take. I can't hide away inside all my life just because of some stupid allergy, I have too many dreams. Too many that I want you to be in with me. I mean, c'mon Josh, I made it those first fourteen years without you, and I've managed to go outside all of these sixteen years without dying, I'm sure I'll be okay."  
Josh shrugged and sat down, making Tyler move closer and wrap his arms around him.  
"Speaking of outside," Tyler whispered softly into Josh's ear. "I want to show you something."  
But before Tyler could grab Josh's hand and guide him out the backdoor, a knock came from the front.  
"Josh?" asked the voice standing on Tyler's front porch.  
"Shit." Josh mumbled, putting on his shoes. "It's my mom."  
"Josh, honey, it's getting late, I think you should come home now."  
Tyler smiled a half-smile and said, "I'll just show you tomorrow."  
Josh nodded and kissed Tyler quickly one more time before walking to the living-room and walking out the front door.

-

"Hey, sleepyhead."  
The voice startled Josh, awakening him from his sleep. As he waited for his eyes to adjust, he noticed the the faint outline of the boy in front of him.  
"Tyler?" he asked, his voice raspy.  
"Yeah, it's me." Tyler smirked.  
"How did you get in?"  
"I climbed in through the window. Now let's go."  
He tried grabbing Josh's hand, helping him up, but Josh pulled away.  
"What time is it?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.  
"It's 2pm. You slept pretty late. Your parents left about twenty minutes ago to the mall and said they were going to be gone for a few hours, so I thought this might be a good time to show you what I wanted to show you."  
Josh shook his head, still trying to comprehend everything. Now, almost fully awake, he grabbed a shirt and his shoes, putting them on and standing up.  
"Ready to go?" Tyler asked enthusiastically, one leg already out of Josh's window.  
"Yeah, but, why are you still trying to climb out my window? I'm awake now. You know we can just go through the front-door, right?"  
"Yeah, I know that." Tyler giggled. "It's just more exciting this way."

-

"We're almost there." Tyler said, covering Josh's eyes as he guided him through the overgrown forest, making sure that he didn't trip over any limbs or sticks.  
"Almost..almost..and we're here."  
Tyler removed his hands, letting Josh view the surrounding. It was amazing.  
There was a large lake, with flowers of all colors surrounding it, and on the other side, there was a large treehouse that, surprisingly, still looked like it was in good shape.  
"Do you like it?" Tyler asked, nervous for Josh's response.  
Josh grinned before turning to his best friend and saying, "I love it, Ty."  
The two stepped over broken branches and overgrown areas, making their way to the lake and sitting down at the bank.  
"When did you find this?" Josh asked.  
"A few weeks ago. I wasn't feeling good that day and decided to walk through here to clear my mind, and that's when I saw this."  
They stared at the water for a few more moments before Tyler stood up and said, "I want to show you something else."  
Without hesitation, Josh stood up and followed Tyler along the side of the lake.  
Once they were on the other side, it was clear that Tyler was speaking of the the treehouse. He pulled a string that let down a ladder, allowing them to climb up it.  
They both smiled and made their way up the ladder, entering the treehouse. Once there, Tyler smirked and told Josh, "Close your eyes again."  
The older boy obliged, closing his eyes shut. He heard a loud thump, wondering if Tyler was okay. But before he could ask, Tyler said, "Open them."  
Josh did as told, and when he did, he was shocked. There was a small cut out in the middle of the treehouse floor like a secret compartment, and inside was food, drinks, and to Josh's surprise, condoms.  
"Wow." Josh chuckled, looking inside the small place. "I'm guessing you've been planning this?"  
Tyler bit his lip and nodded. "You have no idea how long I've been planning this."  
The younger boy leaned over, kissing his best friend on the lips. He responded by kissing him back, slightly rougher. The two began kissing more heatedly, making Josh pull Tyler to the treehouse floor as he hovered above him. He began to grind into Tyler, making the younger boy moan and grip his friend's arm. Josh palmed Tyler through his jeans for a few minutes, before taking off Tyler's clothes, slowly, just to watch the boy beg and whine for more. Josh began to kiss Tyler's neck softly, reaching down and inserting two fingers into the young boy.  
Tyler winced at the pain at first, making Josh stop and ask if he was okay. Once Tyler nodded, the older boy continued, before putting on a condom and replacing his fingers with his already-hard member.  
He continued to thrust into Tyler at a steady, but rough, pace, making both boy's breathing hitch. Josh reached down to pump Tyler, making the younger boy reach his orgasm. After they both came, they laid next to each other on the treehouse floor, breathing heavy.  
Josh could feel the question running through his brain on repeat, begging him to ask. Finally, he did.  
"Hey, Ty?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Do you.. want to date?"  
Tyler figured that was a stupid question, for the two had already kissed and had sex numerous of times, and on multiple occasions did many relationship-like things, but because the two had never discussed what they actually were, Tyler figured now maybe would be a good time to make it official. After all, Tyler did want Josh to be there with him when he made his dream of becoming a singer true, and how nice would it be to say his amazing boyfriend helped him achieve that dream?  
"Yes, Josh." he smiled widely. "I'd love to date you."  
The older boy pulled him into a hug, kissing him on his head.  
"You're amazing, Ty." Josh beamed.  
"You're not so bad yourself, Dun."

-

After awhile, the two had grabbed a few snacks and climbed down from the treehouse, laying on the ground.  
As they laid there, the sun bright, numerous flowers surrounding their heads, while the sky turned to a bright shade of blue, they felt at peace, more at peace than they'd ever felt before.  
"I like that color." Josh said, speaking up and ending the silence.  
"What color?"  
"The color that the sky is. That blue color. I like it."  
Tyler looked over at the older boy, running his hands through Josh's curly black hair.  
"Maybe you should dye your hair that color."  
Josh scoffed. "That's a great idea, except for I don't know how to dye hair."  
Tyler smirked. "No, but I do."

-

The next night, the two retrieved to Tyler's house to dye Josh's hair.  
Josh sat in the doorway of the bathroom that was connected to Tyler's room, as he watched T.V. and waited for Tyler to finish mixing the things for the hair dye.  
The movie that was playing on the T.V. was about a person who discovered they could have everlasting life, or more simply, were immortal. Josh wished this case was true, so he wouldn't have to worry about Tyler's allergies ever again, but he knew that it was too good to be true, that you couldn't believe what's on on T.V.  
"Tyler?" Josh called out nervously.  
"Yeah, Josh?"  
"You're not allergic to anything in the dye, right?"  
Tyler laughed to himself and shook his head before putting the dye in Josh's hair.  
"I'll be fine, Josh. I promise. Let's stop talking about me for a moment. Let's talk about you. So tell me, what's up?"  
"What the hell do you mean 'what's up'? What does it look like, Ty? I have a head full of bleach and hair dye on me."  
Tyler smirked at Josh's sarcastic comment before saying, "I don't care what's in your hair, Josh. I just want to know what's on your mind."  
Josh sighed before saying, "What's on my mind is you and your allergies."  
"Josh.." Tyler said, rolling his eyes. "We've been over this already. I'll be fine, I swear. Look, yes, having allergies suck. But how do you know for sure that allergies are going to be the reason I die? For all you know, I could die eighty years from now of old age, and allergies would have nothing to do with it. The point I'm trying to make is, stop worrying so much about my allergies and when I'm going to die, and focus on the good things, like right now. I used to be so afraid that my allergies would get in the way, and that my dreams wouldn't happen. At times, I wanted to die. I wanted to give up. But then I met you, and that made me think twice. Now, all I'm asking, is for you stop worrying about that and just be happy and enjoy right now with me."  
Josh let out a breath, nodding his head softly. He figured that maybe Tyler was right, so he closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment, letting his best-friend, and boyfriend, dye his hair.

-

After the dye had been washed out and Tyler helped Josh dry his hair, the two looked into the mirror, admiring the color. It was a soft, baby blue, just like the sky had been.  
"I love it." Josh said happily.  
"I love you." Tyler responded, biting his lip.  
Josh smirked and picked Tyler up, pulling him into a hug and kissing him.  
"I love you too, Ty."  
They continued to kiss, Josh never releasing Tyler from his hug. For the first time in awhile, Josh had completely forgotten about Tyler's allergies. Because for once, he was completely happy and content. He wished this moment could last forever, but deep down, the blue-haired boy knew they never did.

-

The next day, Josh awoke to the sound of his alarm clock going off at an ear-piercing sound. Usually, this would've pissed him off extremely. But not now. No, Josh was happy. He was full of energy and Tyler's allergies were far from his mind. The only thing he could find himself thinking about was what him and Tyler could do that day. Where they could go. Would they go to the lake? Or just watch a movie at Tyler's house? Honestly, Josh didn't care. As long as he knew he was spending it with Tyler.  
Josh threw on his clothes and walked through the kitchen, getting ready to walk out the door.  
"You dyed your hair?" his mother asked, stopping him in his tracks.  
"Oh, yeah, Tyler helped me dye it."  
"Oh, that's nice honey. Hey, I was wondering if you'd like to do something today. You know, maybe go uptown or something?" she asked, smiling kindly.  
"About that.." Josh said, scratching the back of his neck. "I kinda, uh, told Tyler I'd hang out with him today.."  
"Oh." his mother's voice slightly dropped. "That's fine, I guess."  
Josh felt his heart get heavy, watching his mother's disappointed face, so he walked over to her and kissed her on the forehead and said, "I promise I'll make it up to you tomorrow, momma. We can go uptown all day if you want."  
His mother smiled softly and nodded. "Sounds great. Have fun at Tyler's, and don't be gone all night."  
"I won't." he said, and with that he was gone and out the door.

-

He walked across to Tyler's house and knocked on the door. No one answered, but he was almost sure he heard muffling sounds coming from the inside the house somewhere. Slowly and quietly, Josh opened the door, shutting it behind him softly and walking in.  
"Ty?" he whispered, slowly walking down the hall.  
He came around the corner and peaked into Tyler's room. What he saw made his heart shatter into a million pieces.  
Tyler was laid on the floor, his face swollen and red, as his mother frantically searched his room, crying.  
"What..What's going on?" Josh asked, his voice almost cracking.  
Tyler's mother didn't answer, instead she continued crying as she yelled angrily, "Where the hell is his EpiPen?"  
"Is he okay?" Josh asked, worried, as a single tear streamed down his cheek.  
"I don't know..I don't know.." his mother said, grabbing at her hair, almost yanking it out as mascara-stained tears fell down her cheek.  
"Do you-"  
"Just leave!" she yelled at Josh, cutting him off.  
Tears were flowing from his eyes like waterfalls by now, but his expression was emotionless as his heart rate sped up.  
"Did you hear me?" Tyler's mother yelled. "Leave!"  
Josh's heart was beating so fast he could hear it in his ears. His vision was blurry, from both the tears and the fact he was having a panic attack. Quickly, he stumbled through their house and swung open their front door, running for the forest.  
As his vision blurred more, he tried his best not to trip on the sticks and branches in his way. He wasn't sure what exactly was happening to him, considering he had never gotten this upset over a death before. He continued to run through the forest, trying to push leaves and such out of his way, hoping that, if he made it to the treehouse, maybe he could calm down. But no matter how far he ran, no matter what direction he went in, he couldn't seem to find the treehouse anywhere.  
Slowly but surely, he felt his anger and pain boil up inside him again, making him scream.  
"Why? Why? Why?" he asked, hitting himself on the head repeatedly. He pulled at his hair, yelling and crying. He stopped running, but everything seemed to spin around him. He screamed again, this time at the sky, as he asked, "Why? Why do you let bad things happen to good people? Why?"  
Tears continued streaming down his face as black dots formed in his eyes. Every time he would turn, it seemed like the whole world would turn with him, slowly. For a second, he almost thought he heard a voice call out his name. But then, everything went black.

-

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" Tyler's mom asked, running her hands through Tyler's hair.  
"A lot better." he said, smiling weakly.  
"I'm glad you brought him here when you did." said the doctor, writing down something on a slip of paper. "Just a few more seconds and he wouldn't have made it."  
Tyler's mother nodded, giving her son a hug. Tyler hugged back, the cold hospital room giving him slight chills.  
"How long have I been in here?" Tyler asked, rubbing his eyes.  
"About two days." the doctor replied.  
Tyler nodded and took a deep breath. He was glad that he had survived, but his heart sank when he noticed that something didn't feel quite right about the whole situation.  
"Where's Josh?" Tyler asked quickly, sitting up. "Why isn't he here? Did you tell him I was here? Did he show up when I was asleep? Can you call him and let him know I'm awake-"  
"Tyler." his mother said, resting a hand on his leg. She bit the inside of her cheek, not sure what to say.  
"Look, why don't we go home and get you dressed into some more clothes, and then we'll go see Josh, okay?" she asked, her voice breaking on the 'okay'.  
Tyler nodded, not sure what was happening.  
They left the hospital and Tyler went home and changed, just like planned. After he changed, his mother asked him to get in the car.  
"Where are we going?" Tyler asked, confused.  
His mother didn't speak, she just kept driving.  
They drove a good while, until they pulled into the parking lot of a large funeral home. Tyler shook his head, not understanding.  
"Why would Josh be at a-"  
He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening. He looked over at his mother quickly, tears welling in his eyes.  
"No." he said softly, shaking his head.  
"Tyler, he didn't know-"  
"No!" Tyler yelled, this time tears running down his face. He jumped out the car, slamming the door shut behind him, as he ran inside.  
"Tyler, wait!" his mother called after him, grabbing her purse and getting out the car as well.  
Tyler ran inside, his heart racing and everything spinning slowly around him, just like it had been to Josh.  
"Where is he?" he asked frantically, searching the rooms. It was a large funeral home, and there were people in each room that Tyler had never heard of nor seen in his life.  
Finally, he came to a smaller room where people gathered, talking and reminiscing, and in the corner, Tyler spotted the open casket.  
"Josh.." Tyler cried, his voice breaking. He walked over to the casket, looking at the blue-haired boy. Tyler was confused at how Josh could seem to look so peaceful laying there, when something this horrible had happened.  
Tyler shook his head, not wanting to believe it.  
"He isn't dead.." he cried out. "He isn't dead!"  
Tyler felt a hand on his shoulder, startling him. He turned around to see Josh's father, eyes bloodshot red, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Tyler. He's gone."  
Still not wanting to believe it, he screamed at him.  
"How do you know?" Tyler asked, a sick feeling in his stomach. "Josh thought I was dead, but I wasn't! What if that happened to him too? Huh? What if he's not actually dead?"  
"Tyler, Josh blacked out and hit his head, he-he bled to death. He's-"  
But Tyler only ignored them as he tried to laugh through his tears, staring at Josh as he asked, "You're not dead, right Josh? Go on, tell them you're awake."  
A few people in the room exchanged looks, not sure if they should consider Tyler mentally unstable or not.  
"Wake up, dammit!" Tyler screamed at Josh, making Josh's father pull Tyler away from the casket.  
"Tyler, we're all upset but I think you need to calm down."  
"No!" Tyler yelled, pushing away from them. "Get off of me!"  
Tyler released himself from their grip and ran outside. He ran around to the side of the building, backing up against the brick wall and sinking to the ground. He brought his knees to his chest, putting his arms around them, as he cried.  
"Why couldn't Josh just stick around?" he thought. "Just a few more hours, just enough to where he could've known I was okay, and none of this would've ever happened."  
He let out a small sigh, trying to wipe away his tears, but they only continued running down his cheeks. He tried to hum Josh's favorite song, as if a pretty sound would magically make everything better, but it didn't.  
Tyler looked up at the sky and all around the streets, furious. Tyler remembered how in the movies, whenever someone died, it would always be rainy and gloomy, and everyone would be sad or depressed. But that wasn't the case today. No, it was bright outside. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, the sky was blue. Everything was still, calm, content. And Tyler hated it. He rested his face in his hands and let out a small cry, hating everything. Hating the world. Hating what had happened. No matter how bright it was outside, everything was dark to Tyler. The world had suddenly became gray and dull and broken. Because it realized that Joshua Dun would never be back again.

-

It had been nearly an hour since Tyler had ran outside, and he was slowly coming to grips with what had happened. As much as he would've liked to sit there all night and cry, he knew that Josh would've wanted him inside. Josh would've wanted Tyler to be like the rest of the world, to be calm, to be content, and most of all, Josh would've wanted Tyler to be happy.  
Tyler took a deep breath, closing his eyes and smiling weakly.  
"I miss you Josh."  
He squeezed his eyes shut as his voice cracked and he felt the pain stabbing through him like a knife once again.  
He took another deep breath and stood up.  
He walked inside the building to notice that most of the people had switched to another room to talk. He walked to the room where Josh's body laid, thankful that, besides Josh, he was alone. He needed this. Even if Josh couldn't hear him, he needed to talk to him.  
Tyler walked slowly over to Josh's casket, a weak smile on his face.  
"You know what sucks the most?" Tyler asked, a small smile on his face, but his eyes still glazed over from the crying. "You never even got a chance to tell your parents you were gay."  
He laughed softly, trying to stifle his cry, and bit his lip.  
"I love you, Josh." he said softly, before standing up straight and walking away.  
He walked into another room, much larger than the last, that looked similar to a church.  
He sat down in one of the pews and was about to take another deep breath, when he heard a small cry come from the front of the room. How could he have been so selfish? All this time, Tyler forgot that he wasn't the only person that was close to Josh.  
He stood up and walked to the front, sitting down next to Josh's mother.  
She turned to face him, a little shocked at first, but then her face softened into a half-smile.  
"I'm sorry." Tyler croaked.  
"It's okay," she said quietly. "I know you miss him, too."  
Tyler had promised himself just a few seconds earlier that he would not cry in front of Josh's mother, but he couldn't contain himself as he began to feel his lip quiver, bursting into tears.  
Josh's mother pulled Tyler into a hug, patting him gently on the back as a tear fell down her cheek as well.  
"Why?" he cried. "Why did it have to be him?"  
Josh's mother bit her lip as she said, "I know it sucks, honey. Believe me, this is going to hurt everyone. But you gotta remember, life's just a big book. And sometimes the author does horrible things that we don't want. And I know.."  
Her voice cracked completely as she continued. "..that sometimes, we just want to go back and change it ourselves, but it's not that simple. Because, you see, Tyler, life's just a crazy, unexpected mess."

-

Later that afternoon, after the funeral, Tyler and his mother drove back to their house.  
"I'm so sorry, Tyler." his mother said, kissing him on the forehead. "Things will get better soon, I promise."  
She got out the car and walked inside, but Tyler stayed in the car for a few more seconds, still trying to process everything that had happened.  
When he finally got out, he trudged up to his front door, pushing it open. He walked inside and made his way to the kitchen, searching for something to eat.  
He searched around in the kitchen cabinet for a moment, when his eyes locked on something in the back. The words repeated in his head, "You see, Tyler, life's just a crazy, unexpected mess." 

Quickly, he grabbed the jar of peanut butter, and walked to his room.


End file.
